Town of 1770 & Lady Musgrave Island

TOWN OF 1770 & AGNES WATER

Town of 1770 takes its name by James Cook second landing in Australia, in May 1770. The town is a little place located on a peninsula, with the Coral sea and Bustard Bay on three sides, and it's famous because it's considered the closest access point to the Southern Great Barrier Reef and it's the only town in the world with a number for a name! 

Agnes Water and Town of 1770 location

Town of 1770, that was called Round Hill before the commemoration of the bicentennial of Cook's visit, has a neighborhood town called Agnes Water, 60 km off the Bruce highway and just 6 km from Town of 1770.

Thanks to boating, fishing activities and day-trips to the Southern Great Barrier Reef Islands, the twin coastal towns are known to be two of the loveliest Australian destinations. Town of 1770, little more than a marina, is the most northern surf beach on the East Cast of Australia and it can boast a point break first attraction. Regarding the opportunity to experience reef cruises the options available are a lot, among the day tours the most reccommended are the day tour to Lady Musgrave Island and Lady Elliot Island. If you are not the type of person interested to do snorkeling or scubadiving, you can also opt for a cultural day at Agnes Water Museum, that hosts a superb collection of Maritime history, otherwise there is an interesting excursion to the historic Bustard Heads lighthouse. In my opinion, I reccomend a two/three day stay in Agnes Water, in order to spend the first day relaxing at the beach, the second day in one of the gorgeous reef islands and maybe the third day you can have a walk in one of the National Parks close to the twin towns or you can decide for a two-day camping in a seaplace or in a NP. 

Find an accommodation in this area is not a problem at all, in that you can find a big range of places, from cheap hostels to expensive resort. Here's a list of the most famous accomomdations:

1770 GATEWAY	luxury villas
AGNES WATER BEACH CLUB	luxury apartments
1770 LAGOONS RESORT AND SPA	resort
MANGO TREE MOTEL	rooms close to the beach
SUNBIRD GARDENS	cottages
AGNES WATER BEACH HOLIDAYS	campsites, chalets and apartments
1770 CAMPGROUND	beachfront camping
1770 SOUTHERN CROSS BACKPACKERS	backpacker hostel
BACKPACKERS @ 1770	backpacker hostel
COOL BANANAS	backpacker hostel

We chose 1770 Southern Cross Backpackers for our stay, it's small, simple but it looks like to be in a "jungle". You can hung hammocks wherever you want, the staff is friendly and there's a great atmosphere. We didn't have any problems, the only complain to do is that the dorm doors are always open. But the price is worth it, so highly recommended!

LADY MUSGRAVE ISLAND

"Spotting the island!"

Welcome to the paradise! Have you ever dreamt to be on a little atoll with crystal clear water surrounded by unspoilt wildlife?? Ok this is the place you have always dreamt for ages. Lady Musgrave Island is the place you must visit if you are willing to go on the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling or scuba diving activities because it's set on 3000 acres of living reef with a deepwater coral lagoon. This amazing "swimming pool" is the only lagoon where big vessels can enter and it's a tropical paradise abundant in Pisonia forests, birds life and sea turtles. 

Glass Bottom Boat

Lady Musgrave Cruise organizes a day tour on the island, providing snorkeling equipment and a delicious tropical buffet lunch with prawns. Furthermore the 5 hour cruise offers two glass bottom boats and a floating pontoon with underwater observatory, giving the possibility to discover the beauty of the underwater sea also to disabled people. The island itself is a darling, full of birds and tropical trees, the beach is composed of coral and the cruise organizes a guided island tour.

Here're some pictures of our amazing day in Lady Musgrave Island:

The islands of Queensland

The beautiful state of Queensland is unique amongst the other Australian states, in that it has the iconic GREAT BARRIER REEF just off its coast. The number of islands located in the Coral Sea is really high (around 155) and they are the ideal place for anyone looking for an idyllic, exotic, sunkissed holiday destination, far from the “stressful world”.

Here you can always count on a perfect climate, in that Queensland has a moderate, semi-tropical climate, so it’s pleasant for holidaying in all year round. And what you’ll find on its coasts are golden beaches and a blue sea that is dotted with tropical islands.

The islands of Queensland are Australia’s crown jewels, with a choice of accommodation and activities for all budget ranging from luxury lodges and elegant resorts to simple and welcoming hostels. Queensland boasts a whole selection of great cultural and artistic sights, as well as world-class bars and restaurants. Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands are ideally suited for honeymooners, families, divers, beachcombers.

In the next posts we’ll share with you our experiences in 6 of these amazing islands, but of course we’ll also give you some tips for others stunning spots!

North Stradbroke Island is perfect for a weekend off from your Brisbane city life:

Moreton Island is a wild place to stay in touch with the nature:

Fraser Island, besides being the largest sand island in the world, is superb for a two-day tour and to meet new mates:

Great Keppel Island is just so untouched that will be your love at first sight:

Lady Musgrave Island is the second island in the Great Barrier Reef chain of islands and a real tropical paradise:

Dunk Island is sorrounded by reefs and wandering around the island’s tracks is wonderful:

Have a look at the map below to see where all these beautiful islands are and stay tuned to read more about them in the next posts.

Hervey Bay

Despite the city itself cannot be considered as beautiful as other Australian cities, Hervey Bay has something  that other cities only dream to have and for this reason it has been nominated as capital of an amazing activity…. we are talking about Whale Watching!  Located in Queensland, just 3½ hours’ drive from Brisbane, the town of Hervey Bay is absolutely the best known place to spot humpback whales. Migrating along the coast between April and October, these beautiful animals can be found in the narrow sea between Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. There are several whale watching companies in town and all of them offer the same type of service:  Half day (4h) or All day (6h).

Two humpback whales playing in front of us

N.B: Platypus Bay is the place where usually whales are spotted and to reach it the agencies spend almost 2 hours sailing, so it means you spend 2/3 hours with whales  (if you are lucky!). See these beautiful animals is not guaranteed, especially if you go in late October, but take the risk and try this incredible experience!

Quick cat II ticket

Some of the whale watching companies are:

-          SPIRIT OF HERVEY BAY

-          THAT’S AWESOME

-          MV TASMAN VENTURE

-          BLUE DOLPHIN MARINE TOURS

-          QUICK CAT II

We personally chose  the last one and we were happy with their service. The crew also gave us a DVD with the video of our journey, awesome! We recommend them also because the price was a bit cheaper than the others.

Being an important stop for who is going to Fraser Island, now you know that in Hervey Bay there is another reason why you should visit this town. If you are looking to stay more nights in Harvey Bay we advice the YHA hostel, which we found the best YHA hostel we have ever beeen:

https://www.yha.com.au/hostels/qld/fraser-capricorn-coasts/hervey-bay

The hostel offers a relaxing environment with first-class accommodation for backpackers and travellers of all kinds and it is surrounded by tropical gardens and it also provides  large pool, bistro, internet lounge, tennis and basketball courts and tour booking service.

Thank you Hervey Bay for this amazing experience